Tommy Baldwin Racing ready for Phoenix

Tommy Baldwin Racing press release

Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) will field two entries for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. David Reutimann will make his team debut in the No. 10 Accell Construction Chevrolet at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Dave Blaney will return to the No. 36 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet for the second race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season.

Dave Blaney, Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

TBR AT PHOENIX – TBR made starts in all six PIR events since the team’s inception in 2009. The team’s best start was 32nd in the 2010 fall race with Blaney behind the wheel. Blaney also scored TBR’s best finish of 27th in the 2011 fall event.

KEEPING UP WITH TBR – Keep up with TBR by following twitter.com/TBR_Racing and liking facebook.com/TBR.HBR

No. 10 Accell Construction Chevrolet – David Reutimann
TBR DEBUT – Reutimann will make his debut with TBR this weekend. The Zephyrhills, Fla., native is sharing the 2012 NSCS schedule with Danica Patrick. Patrick is running 10 races including last week’s Daytona 500. Reutimann will compete in the other 26 events this season.

BIRTHDAY BOY – Reutimann will turn 42 on Friday, March 2 and celebrate his birthday with NSCS practice at PIR.

REUTIMANN AT PHOENIX – The 41-year-old racer will make his 10th start at PIR. Reutimann compiled three top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 19.4. His best start was sixth in 2010 while driving for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). He tallied his best finish of seventh in the fall event last season also with MWR.

ACCELL CONSTRUCTION – During the 2011 season, Accell Construction, an Oklahoma-based company, sponsored the No. 36 Chevrolet for six primary events, as well as associate races. Accell Construction, a full-service site civil contractor for the petroleum terminal and bulk storage industries, specializes in tank farm construction, tank foundations and other related site civil construction. The 20-year old company operates civil construction projects in numerous states across the U.S.

CHASSIS NO. 297 – Reutimann will pilot the No. 297 chassis. TBR debuted chassis No. 297 with Blaney at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2011. Blaney also piloted the chassis at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the 2011 NSCS Season Finale where he finished 28th. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing during the 2011 season.

IN THE POINTS – The No. 10 Chevrolet is currently 38th in NSCS Owner Points. The team is three points outside of the top-35. NASCAR will utilize the 2012 owner points to set the field beginning in Martinsville.

David Reutimann Quotes:
ON MAKING HIS TBR DEBUT – “I feel like TBR and I are going to be a good fit. I thought so before I drove anything for Tommy. If I didn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to work out a deal. We had one test in Nashville, which gave me a head start working with Tommy and the guys, so we won’t be going into Phoenix cold turkey. Blaney ran great in Daytona, which gives the entire team momentum, so I’m excited to get out to Phoenix and see what we can do.”

ON PRE-SEASON TESTING – “The cars felt good at the test. I didn’t know what to expect. Tommy told me that I would be pleasantly surprised with the car, and I actually was. The car responded well. It felt like it was a good and well-prepared racecar. Sometimes during a test, you work all day and feel like you didn’t hit on anything. During the Nashville test, we stuck to the game plan and made changes and not only did we feel the changes were good but we were better than some good cars that there and right in line with the others. We had something good to judge off of, so it helped to know where we stand.”

Dave Blaney – No. 36 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet
BLANEY AT PHOENIX – The Buckeye Bullet made 18 PIR starts since his debut in 2000. He finished in the top-10 twice, with his best finish of seventh in 2002. Blaney’s best start was fifth, also in the 2002 fall event.

OLLIE’S BARGAIN OUTLET – Ollie’s Bargain Outlet will return as primary sponsor for the No. 36 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet and Blaney after a successful run in the Daytona 500. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is one of America’s largest retailers of closeouts, salvage and surplus merchandise. The Pennsylvania-based company currently operates 114 stores in 12 states and has previously sponsored other drivers in various NASCAR series.

CHASSIS NO. 293 – Blaney will drive the No. 293, which he drove five times during the 2011 season. The Harford, Ohio native’s best start with the No. 293 chassis was 22nd and best finish was 27th. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing, where Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR.

THE HUB – Blaney will be on Speed Channel’s NASCAR Race Hub Thursday, March 1 at 6 p.m. EST. He will sit down with Steve Byrnes and talk about Daytona, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and his son Ryan’s racing career.

QUALIFY FOR THE SHOW – The No. 36 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet will have to qualify for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. There are 44 cars on the entry list, meaning nine cars will qualify for eight positions. The other drivers qualifying on time are Robby Gordon, Timmy Hill, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs, David Stremme, Josh Wise and J.J. Yeley.

IN THE POINTS – The No. 36 Chevrolet is currently 15th in NSCS Driver and Owner Points. He is tied with Bobby Labonte in 14th, one point behind Marcos Ambrose in 13th and one point ahead of Tony Stewart in 16th.

Dave Blaney Quotes:
ON RACING AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – “I really liked the new configuration when we were there in the fall. The chassis we are running is one of my favorite cars. We ran well with it in Phoenix last season, and I anticipate the same, if not better, this time out.”

ON OLLIE’S RETURNING – “I’m thrilled Ollie’s decided to come back on the car this weekend. The craziness of the Daytona 500 gave them and our team a lot of publicity. I love the paint scheme. I think it looks really cool and stands out on track.”